general remarks: the wines are in general more on the elegant side. red berric. high acidity. almost no wood (they only use 5000+ liters „foudres“) intermixed with some spices and flowery aromas. especially the older vintages gave me some "burgundy vibes". there was some bottle variation (some oxidative bottles), especially with some warmer and better rated vintages such as 1995 and 1999… the younger the wines got the more similar they became and were hard to distinguish. also hard to tell where the younger vintages will end up in future. highlights were 1991 and 1996 (both 94 points).
in the cellar they use as low intervention as possible. every grape gets fermented on its own. they choose oxidative or reductive ageing for each grape separately according to the characteristics of the grape. the chateau is owned and ran by the family perrin (7 ppl).
Tasting note Beaucastel 1996: according to the according to the representative this was again a cooler vintage. more ripe than the 1991 and more spices and cloves, youthful on the nose, some mature, red berries, still fresh and elegant. almost no wood. this is nice and my style. on the palate it has quite high complexity, acidity is super high, and therefore also very high drink flow as we like it. burgundian style. it has distincitve pepper and spice aromas, this gave me cab franc vibes as it had some vegetable aromas such as paprika, some rose leaves… nice and comple and very long. very enjoyable.
is ready now can still be held for more years.
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Hawker night at Caroline's: Brought for the host. Wasn't expecting much since aged CDPs can be a crapshoot, but was pleasantly surprised at how fresh this was. Clean nose, slightly plummy but vibrant blackcurrant fruit, tannins were resolved but still had a very good backbone.
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Absolutely delicious. Took a short while to blow off the initial funk then appeared a mature, elegant, silky wine with well developed taninns and no shortness of fruit and a beguiling sweetness. If you like a young CNDP tannic fruit bomb then this is definitely not for you but a very good aged rhone that I suspect is on a long plateau.
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5 years on since my last note and this my last bottle. Interestingly, not much has changed . . . this has aged more gracefully than I had thought it might.
Color: light/medium ruby core -> light, diffuse garnet rim. Atypically light bouquet (for Beaucastel) of cherries, leather, iron, herbs de provence and a little barnyard. Spicy palate showing off those herbal notes with leather and macerated cherries. Lighter style palate for Beaucastel but I'm liking this a bit more than I did 5 years ago. Acidity seem appropriate on this bottle and while the finish could be a bit longer it's acceptable. I still think this is past its best but (surprisingly) still not over the hill.
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Tasted at a friend’s house. Nice translucent lightly bricked garnet, age typical. Fairly complex and rounded with plummy, bacon and rich earth aromas and flavors. Mouth feel is slightly thin and the finish is moderately long but would hope for more depth and length. Not as “bretty” as many older Beaucastel can be. Mature, probably slightly past peak but not in danger of falling apart as yet.
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This is classic 1996 - luscious, healthy black fruit, nicely moderate complexity and very earthy-minerally notes but ultimately the very high acidity ruins the party. A very pleasant start and overall enjoyed by the group.
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Best bottle of this wine yet. Opens up with animal notes, funk. Is light on its feet with cool, upright fruit. Good acidity. Is more like Beau of old times now. Lovely.
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Still lots of life here! Served with osso bucco, and all earnestly wished for a second bottle. Fruit, acid, texture, and slight funk were beautifully balanced. Probably won't get better, so drink up.
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Beat your 2018 WOTY Dinner: Cinnamon, toast, charcoal, orange and meaty notes. Palate shows off light red fruit, with a clean profile, though the acidity is maybe a little sharp. Good but not great.
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A blend of Grenache (30%), Mourvèdre (30%), Counoise (10%), Syrah (10%) and Cinsault (5%) with the final 15% rounded out by Bourboulenc, Clairette, Muscardin, Picardan, Picpoul, Roussanne, Terret Noir and Vaccarèse. 13,5% alcohol. Tasted blind.
Moderately pale and quite translucent black cherry color with pale, brick-colored rim. At first the wine smells quite funky and rather peculiar with distinctively bretty, almost Gueuze lambic-kind of smell along with hints of tart green apples and fresh red fruit. However, the nose opens up to reveal aromas of dried blackberries, some cracking old leather, a little bit of smoky phenolic character, light tones of dried black cherries, hints of wild strawberries and an earthy touch of garrigue. The wine feels lively, vibrant and medium-bodied on the palate with surprisingly high acidity and complex, somewhat funky yet remarkably fresh flavors of juicy red fruits, some sour cherry bitterness, light green apple tones, a little bit of pipe tobacco, hints of leather and spicy phenolic character, a touch of salty licorice and a subtle undertone of barnyard. The wine feels very structured and serious with its crunchy, high acidity and moderately grippy and still relatively unresolved tannins. Overall the wine really doesn't come across as much Pape, as instead more Burgundian in style. The finish is remarkably long, firm and vibrant with moderately firm tannic grip and intense flavors of sour cherries, some spicy bitterness, a little bit of tart cranberry, a hint of leather and a touch of fresh wild strawberry.
At first my guess was going into the direction of funkier Northern Italy (Piedmont, mainly), but before I managed to think much deeper into that direction, other people started guessing French wines, which made me instantly recognize the style: my guess was Beaucastel with some age (15-20 years) to it. The wine was correct, but this was even a bit older than what I guessed! This wine is definitely very distinctive - not particularly "Châteauneuf-du-Pape" in style, but instead much more delicate and Burgundian, which is why you really might not think of CdP at first with this wine. The bretty funk here is instantly recognizable with the first whiff, but it isn't the rich, sweetly leathery barnyard character of classic Rioja, but instead quite spicy, savory and phenolic character which imparts this distinctive, somewhat funky and somewhat dirty note to the wine. Overall remarkably complex, fascinating and still surprisingly youthful for its age - unlike so many other CdP's, this is still going up and it will take many more years before this wine starts to decline. Definitely the most memorable Châteauneuf-du-Pape I've had to this date.
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Nice garnet red color with little to no bricking. The nose provided scents of olive, game meat, and dark fruit and subtle violet note. The feel in mouth was medium with no tannins with flavors of red and dark fruits, game meat, and tapenade. Solid wine drink now until 2028. Score 92
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Dinner with Beaucastel (Chez moi): From PB. Friendly, round –and mature. Very fine neuf from a small vintage, still no signs of fatigue, not even on day 2. Bravo
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I feel that this could have scored higher a few years ago. A fine win, in every sense, but I think we've waited two or three years too long to enjoy this. Nevertheless, wonderful brick red verging on amber in the glass, with rustic animal characteristics on the nose. Taste is very well balanced, but with faded fruit. Drink up.
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95 vs 96. 1995: elegant and delicate. 1996: intense and persistent. In common: fine wines. We were in 5 of which 3 preferred 1996. I liked most of the 1995 vintage
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DTC Chateauneuf du Pape (@ SS): Beautiful and mature bouquet with horse stable, saddle leather, garrigue and still some red berries. On the palate red berry fruits, good herbs and spices, beautifully fresh acidity and complex, earthy and autumn aromas. A beautiful, mature and elegant wine. What a nice surprise!
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Took a few hours to open up. Fruit in brown tones, good structure, perhaps a bit polished. Lacks the wild character of older vintages of Beau. Not sure how this will evolve, but there is no hurry to drink up.
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Color: light/medium ruby core -> light, diffuse garnet rim; pretty light looking for a Beaucastel, even one 20 years old. Atypically light bouquet (for Beaucastel) of cherries, iron, herbs de provence and a little barnyard. Spicy palate with leather and macerated cherries. Lightening up with acidity spiking through a barely medium-long finish. Past its best but not yet over the hill, drink these sooner vs. later.
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brought this to dinner at Paso pre HDR -started off a bit slow and needed air (and not get a chance to pre decant) kept putting on more structure and sweetness and was humming after 2 hrs when everyone moved on to the other goodies. Classic old Beau.
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Pre-Hospice du Rhone: Dinner at La Cosecha (La Cosecha, Paso Robles): Paul brought this one. This bottle seemed a slight bit oxidized to me. That is an area I am not sensitive to, but the folks at my end of the table had an issue with it. Ruby in color. The nose has a bit of barnyard but not what one might fear from this wine. Some nice raspberries. On the palate, decent acidity. Some fruit left. Nice mouthfeel. It may not have been at peak, but it was a pleasure to drink for me.
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Medium ruby color with moderate bricking on the edge. Very perrery nose with cherry and earth. A little light on the tongue. Better after 2-3 hours in the decanter than earlier. Flavors reflect the nose with a very peppery and long aftertaste.
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Light crimson in color. Almost translucent. 13.5% ABV. Subtle nose of cherries, iron and Herbes de Provence. Delicate and ethereal on the palate. Flavors of blood, kirsch, dried plums and garrigue. Still solid on the finish even at 20 years of age. This wine has aged beautifully. A triumph for the vintage. Clearly ready to drink.
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En dégustation, je suis régulièrement déçu par les Beaucastel de cette période. Accompagné par un excellent repas, celui-ci m'a semblé équilibré et intense, sans la lourdeur alcooleuse que je craignais.
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I disagreed with the opinion of my far more experienced friend who gave me this bottle some years ago. I felt i waited too long and we missed its prime. Needed decanting obviously and time to breath but typical and refined CdP on palate and nose had a hint of tiredness about it. Very nice but just a little past it, like me perhaps!?
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(Blind tasting) Fully mature nose. Animaly, warm fruit, chocolate and meat stock. Good complexity and still some freshness. Medium-fullish, mature palate with fully integrated tannins, good concentration, warm fruit, some alcoholic heat and good complexity. Satisfying finish. Still fresh, this was a pleasant and harmonius ChdP.
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This wine is like an elegant gentlemen. Slightly past its prime but a fine wine nonetheless. The wine improved becoming more aromatic and gaining weight over the course of two days. The nose had notes of earth, leather, smoked meats, and a peppery herbal note. The palate still had a nice acidity and roasted red fruit flavors.
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Enjoyed this more than previous bottles. Some nice red fruits but also typical Rhone leather and garrigue. Touch of spice and less brett farmyard funk than others (I think you can have too much of a good thing in that respect). Drinking nicely right now but won't last too much longer.
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I think the community has underrated this. Good balance, classic C de P flavor profiles and nice finish. Nothing was extreme, just an interesting, properly balanced wine that tastes good over two nights. Also, not over the hill (assuming proper cellering) at all.
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Given my previous remarks on this wine, this was a pleasant surprise as there was real Beaucastel funk on the nose and palate here. Very well contained, the red fruit restrained and tightly packed with pepper and spices. In a great spot now.
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Light garnet with sediment. Dark chocolate and raspberries with black pepper on the nose.
Notes of concentrated Bing cherries with raspberries, black pepper, and a certain bitter/sour note at the end palate that dominates into the finish. On the plus side, there is a very strong sense of terroir.
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Our patience has been rewarded! The first of a case. Bright garnet color with beautiful nose of violets and strawberries that is just enchanting. Medium depth on the palate again with sweet cherries and some chocolate and tobacco. Minimal barnyard and no Brett in this one. Lingering aftertaste. Right in the sweet spot now but could go longer.
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WES - Château de Beaucastel (LSE Holborn): Medium intense. Clear and bright. Orange rim. lacking intensity on the nose, a little watery. Touch of raisons. Rich, smooth with some bite. Lacking in intensity.
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Needed 1.5 hrs of decanting for the berry compote to come out on the palate and through the excellent finish. The balance in this wine was excellent, tannins dissipated. The mourvedre played nicely with the grenache and syrah. Forest floor noted muted on the nose and early palate. Drinking well now!
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Very thin on appearance. First the burnt tires overwhelm, then it becomes more balanced but never really comes out. Soft fruit and flowers, long finish, but not much complexity.
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The nose started off very timid. It opened up into something quite nice. Red and black fruit with a hint of sweetened umami. The palette also needed time. After 15 minutes subtle cherry and mild tobacco were present. A little over the hill, but much better than the last bottle.
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My tasting notes and score are consistent with earlier tasting which was posted in 2010. The color is opaque dark ruby, the nose is subdued, this is medium bodied and shows layers of rather austere black berry and black cherry fruits accented by subtle black pepper giving way to slightly earthy leathery red fruit on a meaty acidic tannin finish.
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Started out good; ripe red fruit and barnyard on the nose. Well integrated tannins and dried fruit on the pallet. It proceeded to die in the glass within 20 minutes. I wish I didn't have another bottle. At least it's only a split.
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Complex nose, with some barnyard funk and rapsberry fruit. Unexpectedly high acid on the palate, with tart red fruits on the complex and long finish. Surprising, in a good way!
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Brick tinged hue, time to drink up. Some nice rich cherry and roasted notes. Well rounded on the palate, if lacking in real complexity. This was ready to drink - perhaps a little late. Pleasant, easy drinking, but not as characterful as some from this producer.
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Kleur: Oranjerood Aroma / bouquet: Aangename combinatie van 'paardenstal' en zoete kruidigheid. Om specifiek te zijn: kruidkoek, zoet rood fruit, zachte en zoete drop. Smaak / Afdronk: Prachtige zachte rijpe wijn met voldoende power. Zachte zuurgraad, milde en wat zoetige tannines, voldoende structuur en een prettige bite. Royale lengte. Algemeen / potentieel: Aangename Ch9dP. Heerlijk, niet groots. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 11 + Smaak / Afdronk: 16 + Algemeen / potentieel: 7 = 89/100
Color: Orange red Aroma / Bouquet: Pleasant combination of 'stable' and sweet spiciness. To be specific, gingerbread, sweet red fruit, soft and sweet licorice. Taste / Finish: Beautiful soft ripe wine with enough power. Soft acidity, mild and sweetish tannins, ample structure and a pleasant bite. Generous length. General / potential: Pleasant Ch9dP. Good, not great. 50 + Colour: 5 + Aroma / Bouquet: 11 + Taste / Finish: 16 + General / potential: 7 = 89/100
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This is still 2-3 years too young and takes a long time to open up to something that reminds me of Chateauneuf. The style here is more clean and polished compared to previous vintages of Beaucastel, something I'm not too keen on. Give me the rugged, genuine expression please. Some nice cherry fruit and lavender on the palate, especially after 3 hours, also licorice pastilles. Pretty good stuff after several hours but doesn't reach the heights of older vintages.
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My own note from 3 years ago, said this probably wasn't getting better. I was wrong.
This is still meaty and pinot-like at the same time; light on funk, but dark, viscous, and herbal - and there's just a hint of a musty, medicinal smell on the nose. This is beautiful.
By the way. This was served with roast duck breast and shitake mushroom. That's a good match.
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Dark hue, quite dense. Surprisingly fruity, with quite intense notes of cherry, plums, black olives and garrigue. Minimal brett. Intense, linear and long. Very pretty wine with lots of life in it; from cool cellars I think this can still be kept.
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So I think this is Beaucastel from before the Perrins cleaned up their act and started to make all too polished wines - or maybe we're just in between here? There is no brett neither too much farmyard here, but there is plenty of Southern Rhone character. Lavender, thyme, leather and subdued, red cherry fruit. Still somewhat restrained with a promise of more to come. 13.5% alcohol as per label - so also from a time when finesse and elegance was the order of the day.
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Light game on the nose with big red berry and a very slight mushroom note. Also a suggestion of copper minerality. On the palate, wonderful red berry fruit up front. Minerals. White pepper, cigar tobacco. Great aromatics and flavors. Complex, layered and well balanced.
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Not good on opening but delicious 2-3 hours after decanting with good nose, complex fruity/spicy flavours and some sweetness. Very enjoyable but probably at or slightly past its best. Drink up!
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Well, I had been waiting to drink this for a while because it won't go much longer. The wife and I got a little getaway at an Inn for V-day. I brought this along. I put it on ice briefly before tasting so as to bring to correct temp and I made sure to borrow a nice glass from the wine bar. In Appearance, the wine was clear and, as expected, a medium garnet that was brick-like in color at the rim. The wine also showed thick legs. The Nose was clean and developed and about medium in intensity with aromas of cedar, smoke, sweet spice, leather and tobacco. The secondary and tertiary characteristics are certainly more prominent than the fruit, but it also had hints of mostly red fruit, like plum and cherry. The Palate was dry with medium+ body, well balanced medium alcohol and medium+ tannins and acidity. The wine is still hanging on very strongly. The flavor intensity was about medium+ and again showed a lot of tertiary characteristics like dried fruits, baking spices, cigar box, and a lovely hint of sandalwood. The fruit flavors were there again--red fruits, dried fruits of cherry and raisin with some plum. The finish had a long length that really lingered in the back palate. Overall, this was just a lovely wine and it was a great wine for a Vday celebration back in the room. This wine is really matured and complex, but if you still have any out there, drink it soon. The tannin and acidity is at peak!
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This was a surprisingly strong and classic Beaucastel. I would say that this is a medium bodied Beaucastel with excellent structure. Many layers of well defined classic Beaucastel flavors -- you name it, spice, pepper, tobacco, sweet cherry fruit. Excellent wine!
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Dark rust red color with medium transparency. Decanted off of minimal sediment. Aromas of herbs, blackberry, licorice, cherry, and a hint of grilled meat. Palate is full of leather and herbs with cherry and licorice filling in the blanks in a medium-weight presentation. Not a blockbuster, but an exemplary bottle showing why cellaring classic wines is worthwhile. Delicious and drinking in prime form. Drink.
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From magnum, decanted 4 hours. Impressive hoisin/ plum sauce soja nose, long sweet plum compote palate. Not your usual Beaucastel but very interesting and surprising.
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Decanted 45 minutes (benefited). Light garnet. Back to the form of the first bottle (my second must have been flawed). This had brilliant red, spicy fruit on the nose and palate. Sense of underbrush was strong. Very focused structure (bright acidity and fine tannins) to accent the fruit. Complexity and finesse. Seemed very much of place. Was awesome at the table.
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Saturday Night at Ian's (Ian's House): For me, this didn't have classic Beaucastel characteristics. This traded the barnyard funk for the sappy tones of strawberry, sour cherry, rhubarb, and herbs. The palate was elegant and refined with raspberry, pipe tobacco with some brambly tones. No question that this was an enjoyable Chateauneuf-de-Pape, but it lacked the rusticity that I always crave from Beaucastel.
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Developed appearance with a medium mahogany core and a medium pale browning rim. Complex, developed, attractive nose with leather, spice, hints of undergrowth and brown sugar, some underlying sweet red fruit. Medium/full bodied on the palate, integrated soft tannins, attractive mature red fruit, leather, some nice fresh acidity and a good length, spicy/savoury/sweet finish. Mature and drinking perfectly - a good bottle.
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Just perfectly mature,with gentle subdued tannin. Almost burgundian palate but with subtle pepperand tobacco tones to give the game away. Wow - I hope my other 2 bottles are this good.
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Now this is what great Chateauneuf is all about. And a very pleasant surprise too in a non-acclaimed year. Medium ruby with a hint of browning at the rim. Quite viscous. Lovely Provencal aroma displays all of the best aromas of the region. Garrigue and pipe tobacco. Muted cherries too. A very round and elegant wine but still showing a lot of it's Mourvedre character, this is a lovely drink. A shame it's my only bottle because although fully mature, it shows no signs of decline. 5-12-16-8:91/100.
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Cork in excellent condition, bought from wine commune - seems a bit tired, more sweet/wet tobacco, faint red fruits, leather. The last bottle of 96 I buy.
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Not as powerful as I expected. Nose is full with wet tobacco, cedar, color is brick red, show signs of aging. Taste is strong with dry fruits and a bit of blackberry. Still very nice.
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Not typically Ch.du Pape/Beaucastel, but very nice never the less. Tawny color in the rim. Barnyard, sweet berries, tobacco. Lacks some tannins. Don't pair with powerfull food. Not at all what I expected, but very nice never the less. Quite refined like a Bourgogne.
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Not a great Beaucastel, but very good. Initially tight, tart cherry, but after an hour in the decanter opened up to reveal black fruit, spice and some earthy flavors.
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Very disappointing indeed. Thin, hard, sharp and metallic on opening; following day it had opened up a bit but was pretty unrewarding. Somewhere there you can see a distant glimpse of something interesting, but its very faint.
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First night for me was undrinkable. Full of barnyard aroma. Next night was much improved and I actually enjoyed it. The earthiness was more restrained and the fruit was more enjoyable.
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Nearing the end of its lifespan - drink up. The tannins had receded, and the fruit had become slightly fig-like, with some residual jammy-plum overtones. No "meaty" CdP flavours, but a very pleasant bottle. Not as good as other Beaucastels I have tried however.
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A couple of cases on a Saturday afternoon: Really nice showing for this bottle. Ruby in color. The nose has a fair amount of barnyard which I like. Also some cherries and some hay. Tart on the palate. Raspberries and dark cherries. Slightly thin. Mature and I would not hold these for a lot longer (depending on your tastes). It is drinking very well today though.
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Drank from double magnum. Good dose of earth and brett, but not offensive like a couple of other Beaucastels that I've tasted. This gave way to some dried red fruits, meatiness and the backbone to stick around awhile. But why wait? Drink 'em if you got 'em.
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Cork and bottle/foil in great condition. Hoping this bottles is a fine as the last one. bricking at edges, black in color with some muddiness. Nose of mushroom, burning wood embers, lots of wet soil and a great dark cherry finish. THe palate is smooth, integrated, long finish. chalk, grape, cedar and tart red currant. An excellent example of an medium bodied wine that just brings it all together. This note from opening the bottle at 55 deg, and trying within 10 minutes of opening. I will see if there are positive changes over the next 2 hours.
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Popped and poured, and enjoyed over two hours with steak au poivre. Beef drippings and horse droppings, cracked pepper, old leather, and jammy plums. Bloody and earthy and primal. Bright and silky on the palate, with sweet cherries, racy acidity, and very soft, integrated tannin. Great clarity in the glass, but the sediment left behind renders one side of the bottle opaque. This was a remarkably fresh bottle, but I'd still say that the wine is ready to go and there's no reason to hold it much longer.
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Mini Beaucastel Vertical (81-01) with 86 Sauternes (Bethesda, MD): Another beauty from an unheralded vintage. This wine was quite mercurial in the glass, opening at first a bit mute but slowly developing a mélange of secondary characteristics, before switching over to a very candied and bright punch like strawberry/acai element on the nose. The palate was restrained and elegant. I think this wine is another keep. 93-94pts
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Very elegant wine with soft red fruits. All the C9duPape characteristics are there, but the wine is just medium bodied. Over the years my score is only going down, so it might be time to finish this wine.
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Brackish dark color - subdued nose - medium bodied, complex layers of black cherry accented by subtle black pepper giving way to slightly earthy leathery red fruits on a silky tannin finish.
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This was drinking very well, and even better than the last bottle I had. There was a touch of the expected brett/ funk on the nose, but it had a deep, rich core of beef blood, dried dates, and soft, almost pinot-like fruit. This is a good light-to-medium bodied beaucastel, but where sometimes Musar reminds me of beaucastel (or a dozen other things), this reminded me of a Musar.
Now I want some Musar....
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So I opened a bottle of this to replace the corked 1998 R Usseglio CdP. Boy, this wine is still SO young. Beautiful purple red. The nose is almost non-existing. A bit of bright cherry fruit and lavender, but that is it. So closed. Silky and elegant on the palate with pretty red cherry fruit, lavender and just a bit if licorice. There is none of that horse sweat, saddle leather or farmyard that I usually find in Beaucastels pre 1997. Opens up a bit with air to show spices and bright, polished fruit. This wine is still in its shell. Will need another 3+ years to come out. The potential is there.
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Gorgeous tawny colour, shading from brick red in the middle to orange at rim. Astonishing scent, no... smell would be more accurate. This wine reeks intensely of... well, a mixture of methane, manured soil on a hot evening and an old man's parlour the morning after a heavy smoking session. A hint of unwashed farmer's armpit rounds off the picture. So far, so unappealing (to me). The taste was, however, surprisingly pleasant, whether cellar cool at 11C or two hours later from the decanter at room temeprature. Strong acidity, well-resolved tannins, gentle mature fruit somewhere not quite identifiable in the morello cherry-raspberry end of the spectrum. Compared to the young Cotes du Rhone drunk just before: this wine is like diving into the deep end of the pool as opposed to teetering down the steps into the shallow end. The taste is layered and deep, if not broad. A challange to the palate, the intellect and above all... to the nose. Good thing we had it with a hefty beef stew. It just made 88P.
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from a Mag - openned and decanted at 4p for a 730p party wine got better and better as the night went on - I took the last best mouthful at 11p.....color fading more than I might have thought it would, wonderful CdP nose and earbthy, fruity in the mouth with a smooth moderately long finish - this may be best 96 I have had.....maybe it was due to the bigger bottle
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Christmas Day 2009. All the elements were there, but somehow this vintage always seems to disappoint (and in Bordeaux too). No real guts and drinks as though it is 10 years older and fading. Cherries, or cherry stones, a little sour, tannins light but not very well assimilated and tart.
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Nice deep red color, barely developing a hint of brown at the edges. Bouquet of leather, cedar and cherries. A little musky. Red cherries, strong tannins, lovely red fruit flavors. Balanced and drinking very well right now, really nice old Beaucastel. At peak. Not as deep or complex as hoped, but hopes were high.
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Opened with the the other gents working at the wine store with me in the middle of the Thanksgiving Rush...we were drinking on duty, so sue me!! And yes, the wine was good enough to make some customers wait a bit!
Drinking absolutely en point right now... I have had this bottle 3 times and this was absolutely the best I have had, very well balanced between the funky meaty nose, well aged meaty and irony palate and the nice acidity and long finish. I do not understand Parker's 89 score. I do not give scores, but this is in the top 5 wines of the year for me. Very nice and got more and more interesting as the night wore on...there was nothing left by the close of the store.
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Very nice, older Beaucastel, with, early on, fig and cherry, plumping up to dark fruit, allspice, light funk, saddle leather and beef broth. Later on, the front darkens even more and the back palate lightens up. Good stuff. I don't see this fading soon, but probably not getting better.
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This is really my first experience with Beaucastel as the previous three tries all resulted in corked bottles. Definitely has some age with its brick red color. Really liked the nose of hay and fur. Not a ton of fruit left but what was present was pleasing and fun. Looking forward to drinking more. 90pts.
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popped at the 09 Cayuse dinner. Pretty big dose of brett when 1st popped but came around with interesting kalamata olive, dried cherries and anise. Still pretty tannic but really cool CDP w/13yrs on it!
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NOish. Maybe I do not understand Beaucastel. Unlike other CNFs it seems always has pretensions to be more. It seems to differ from other quality CNFs, in its grape mix, in that it does not often drink well young, it takes about 10 years before it is approachable and it closes up arbitrarily at different times. Then other times, you think it is really not up to much, like this one; this bottle had no real development, had a port-like taste, no obvious nose and slight colour particles in it; leading me to think that it is breaking up and on the way out. Yet, I have drunk this several times over its life and it has always failed to offer up much.
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Good bottle of wine. Some browning at the edges. Nose was all about gaminess, dry earth, clean leather and some cardamon. Great acid and the right amount of tannin. The mouth feel was good with the earth and leather predominating in the taste at the front. On the finish the red cherries finally popped out. long finish. Not the best Beaucastel I've had but much more than adequate and a great match for a cool fall evening with a steak.
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Kruger's 75th (Corsair): Not in the right company of the other wines. Overshadowed by old bordeaux and burgs. Smoked meat, spicy, loads of alcohol. Very high in acid and low in fruit character with more leather and tar shining than the fruit. Out of place in the tasting.
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A Chateaunuef from a great vintner. I love Beaucastel and they are one of my favorite vintners in the Rhone. Still, the '96 was no where near the vintage that '98 was and the drink window on this is closing fast. I still have a bottle of this and it is one of those things where I have been desperately looking for the right occasion and/or the right meal to crack it open. It needs to be had soon!
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a nice wine browning at edges, the nose is pleasant with the Beaucatel barnyar but in a very nice way,lots of sour cheeries and gaminess ....lack the layers and complexity form last nights 98 Beaucastel, long finish
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Beaucastel Vertical 81-01 (Gurnee IL, Jordan's house): nose: good nose of leather, black pepper, garrigue, black and sour cherries with a bit of meaty tones. Nice nose, but in a lower level then all of the other beaucastels that were opened as it lacked some of the extra complexity or layering and depth that had set the other beacastels apart
taste: good medium feel with tones of leather, garrigue, black and sour cherries and slight hints of meat. Well resolved and feels that this is as good as its going to get. Lacking depth, but is very nice
overall: a really good and solid beaucastel. Just has a bit lacking that was present in other beaus. Good tones and flavors, there just isn't the depth that was present in the other vintages of beaucastel
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bottle/cork in excellent condition. Opened at 4pm, drank 1st glass at 8pm,was smokey, gamy, sour cherries and lush mouthfeel. 1100 the wine was at its peak. This particular wine was outstanding. I have not had what I would consider a 95 or above wine yet, but this comes as close for me as it gets. I always find that older bordeaux/rhone wines are consumed way too early after opening, and almost always improve after several hours. The color changed from a light brown upon opening to dark plum. This was not a overpowering jaw dropping in your face wine, but a very elegant, rich subtle pleasure
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A nice Beaucastel, but definitely not from a spectacular vintage in the CdP. Though slightly herbal, this wine shows some nice rhubarb, cherry, leather, earth, and some game. Tannins are fully integrated and this wine is ready to go...I wouldn't age it any longer.
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bretty nose, perfumed well with leather, game, and animal scents, very interesting nose, nice balance on the palate, juicy acid, red berries, mushroom, plum, and green tea on the finish, excellent
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Earth and funk, subtle nose similar to the wonderful '90 I just had a month before. Opened up a little during dinner. Pretty smooth on the palate, meaty and earty, but a bit too acidic. Medium body. Nice medum length finish. OK wine. Day #2 - slightly better, or was it the cooler serving temp? More meaty but still overall average.
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Popped and poured. Mouvedre all over the nose. Meaty, leathery, and dank. Horsey. Palate shows sweet cherry and plum fruit, bright acidity and a sweet, slightly-candied finish. Finish falls off rather quickly and the wine becomes one dimensional and uninteresting with air. Not particularly memorable, but a good Beau for drinking now.
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Last bottle, and a good one. Opens up with a bit of brett on the nose that quickly blows off. After 30 minutes, the palate develops a smoothnes and presents as fully resolved. Medium in weight, but quite lush, with acidity and tannins fully absorbed.
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Showing age in its colour; initially muffled, later meaty, hickory; palate more open, sauvage & garrigue, gamey, has grunt & presence. Powerful & deep, needs time. Later became attenuated & lumpy. This is a real rollercoaster of a bottle (& wine - a bottle last year was imore impressive). Potentially more to come. A friend described this as 'slutty' & had a point.
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This was wine was somewhat puzzling. It looked and tasted older that I thought and the way it's going I don't see it holding 20 more years the way Beaucastel can. Nose was complex and very interesting: herbs, meat, olives, animal. To me it looked like Mourvedre was dominating on the nose (and I loved it!). Once on the palate, this Beaucastel a little disapointing. Don't get me wrong it is good but not as you would expect and it is certainly due to the vintage. Tasted older than its age. Maybe the bottle, maybe not...
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Sweaty, gamey with dark fruits and a bit of cedar on the nose. Medium bodied palate with peppery fruit a bit on the sweet side and a fair amount of remaining acidity, but balanced with good depth of fruit. Long finish. Much better after a couple of hours open...fruit gains weight while acidity fades somewhat. 90 pts on opening, 92 pts after 3 hours.
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Loaded with (red) fruits and spices in the bouquet. Same for the taste. Very juicy, full bodied and good bitterness. Complex and long aftertaste. Give it several more years.
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Opened this with non-wine-drinking friends to who did not believe a wine could smell like "barnyard." They are now believers. A nice Beaucastel, light on its feet.
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Had at dinner , Bar Boulud a wonderful new spot in NYC >Special l wine full of barnyard and leather .....Very complex for sure , this was really something > looking forward to drinking future generations of this wine
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Ray Q's 'Naked' Offline (DigitalMail's office, London): Brown, dull. Slightly figgy and pruney. Sweet fruit. A love it or loathe it style, but I like it. Must be southern Rhone and Chateauneuf. Guess 1990 or thereabouts. ****
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This really is an unpredictable, chameleon of a wine. When initially opened the nose was very funky (brett?), too funky, also showing earth and maybe some leather. Although the tannins were integrated the palate was thin and ungenerous with similar bretty flavours and high, unintegrated acidity.
However coming back to this 2-3 hours later saw a complete transformation. The nose suddenly showed sweet red fruit, spice, leather and fruit cake. The palate, whilst still only medium bodied was soft and giving, with sweet strawberry and raspberry fruit, leather hints, a lovely spicy mid-palate and then a sweet lingering finish with fine, integrated acidity. Just lovely.
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Nose of cedar and asian spice and moss. Light tart with high acidity, spice box and light red fruits. Would benefit decanted. Last glass of the bottle left in glass for 2 hours, seems better.
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First bottle was sharp and thin & a with peculiar nose so we binned it. Second bottle - deep red with no unpleasant nose - just bramble jelly and deep fruit straight after poring it into the decanter.Little crust. Full fruit flavour with still some background tannins to make it really perform with meat dishes. A really good wine from what is not a good Rhone vintage and at its peak with a few more years in it yet.
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Superior to the bottle consumed in February 2007 sourced at the same time. This bottle showed very well with a wonderful nose of dark red fruit and just enough animal funk. Long finish.
Beau that outperformed the vintage.
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Popped and poured after trick or treating...not as open and funky as a bottle last month, but showed nice balance between fruit, earth, minerals, and acidity. Great with food.
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Really surprised at how deep and extracted this wine was... nice integration of all elements with no signs of decline... I like the brett in this bottle, very interesting, intriguing, AND delicious... had this alongside a bottle of 2002 Clarendon Hills Grenache Romas and they were similarly impecable and dense, with Beaucastel providing great dirty elements
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Medium ruby, bright. Red fruit, sage, thyme and pepper. Medium bodied, rich red fruit, acid, spice and rich finish, well balanced, Mice, rich mature wine with diverse flavor of red fruit, pepper spice, and acid, good finish. Very good, better than I expected.
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What a difference from the last bottle (in Februaray). Decanted 30 minutes. This was lighter in color and quite thin on the palate with little or no structure (except for decent acidity). The nose never really gave up much with just some light red fruit fruit and spice.
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Northwoods Wineapalooza; 9/7/2007-9/9/2007 (Boulder Junction, Wisconsin): No dtl'd notes. Marker for 3 day tasting @ Wineapalooza. Opened Sunday night, as things were winding down. I was surprised how well this was drinking given some of the earlier notes. Soft, fragrant, sweet. Little remaining CdP funk. Medium bodied. Would probably rate 88-90.
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No formal note. Medium/deep garnet core, pale garnet rim. Spicy strawberry fruit, fruit cake, VA, some honey. Seemd a little fuller on the palate with subdued fruit & some unresolved tannin. Needs food on this showing. Low level cork taint?
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Quite hard work. Animal nose. Decent fruit but I would say currently acidity too high not sure if it will fade. Complex and interesting though. A wine that "needs food" could have been invented for.
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ArieS kindly brought this wine to Pinot Envy's house last week for an offline with a dozen members of the CRS. 1996 was a mediocre year in the Southern Rhone and this wine was demonstrative of the vintage. Beaucastel grows all 13 permitted grape varieties but it is Mourvèdre for which they are known. Mourvèdre usually comprises 1/3 of the final blend. Can't recall if ArieS decanted this bottle upon arrival. Medium crimson red color. I thought this had a muted nose for a Beaucastel. Some typical Southern Rhone barnyard aromas which blew off with some air in the glass. Medium bodied. The fruit in this wine had a somewhat prickly taste. Red fruit with leather, black pepper and plum. Although I think this will be an early drinking Beaucastel (relatively speaking), this is a wine which is still in need of some bottle age. 88-89 points.
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Soft bramble fruits with hints of earth, spice and bacon[?]. Balanced acidity and mellow tannins make it very easy to drink. Lovely lingering finish that makes your mouth water! Only bought 1 bottle to try, will get a few more now.
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I really liked this 'departure' from what I usually associate with Beaucastel. While quite dark, it had a nose more aimed at spice, licorice and underbrush. There was some red and black fruit but it was not the first thing that hit you. It had a gorgeous linear palate that was focused, balanced and long. Elegant and statuesque.
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Decanted almost two hours. Well balanced, not as big and ripe as other Beaucastels, but very good. Lots of earth and spice, the mouvedre flavors dominate. Smooth texture. Paired with duck confit, with the Walters.
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Decanted 1 hour. Big animal nose at first, gave way underbrush strawberry preserves and blackberry. Not what I'd call "fruity". The fruit is in excellent proportion to the spice and structural elements. Great balance. Nicely integrated. A joy to drink. Probably has a couple more years in the tank.
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Medium ruby core, wide orangey rim. Medium intense nose, raspberry fruit, developed with lots of spice, some funk and sous-bois and animal notes. Soft and spicy. Medium bodied on the palate with velvety, soft tannins, raspberries, strawberries, very spicy, some sous-bois, lovely balancing acidity on a good length smooth finish. Lovely, mature, soft Chateauneuf, drinking perfectly, should hold for at least 2-3 years.
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The Day After...and my first Giacosa (Count's Manor): Animal - if this isnt beaucastel what is? :) cherry, brambles, very refreshing middle without any VA, good finish. exactly what i would want with dinner. not a monster - an excellent showing for the wine.
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Purchased at Beaucastel a few years ago, opened for my birthday. Translucent purple, watery edge; not decanted. Slight alcohol in nose with earthy overtones. Big cherry taste, very complex; lasts ~ 15s; explodes in moth -- very drinkable and enjoyable. Big dried fruits -- figs/plums. Some dustyness in finish.
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Elegant, beautiful acids with wonderful warm grenache body filled with bramble, wild strawberry, animal, fungus, violet, and mineral. Really nice and clean. Very enjoyable....
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Grenache pops out of the glass. Garrigue, gaminess, slightly candied blackberry. Fresh and vibrant body. Blood and guts. Full bodied and thick without being unctious. Really balanced in the mouth. Still a baby and barely noticable secondary flavors. This is ripe but no super maturie. Long and long again. Finishes with noticiable tannins. Not as ripe as 1998, 2000, or 2001 but more balanced than 1999 ... try again in three years.
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Tasted at dinner at Steve & Barb's house. Decanted for 3 hours. This was the most controversial wine of the night as it seemed ok when being tasted ( just not a great Beaucastel ) but later in the evening seemed overwhelmingly corked. Earthy on the nose and spicy on the palate. Grenache typical cherries. Not up to the usual Beaucastel standard so maybe it was corked.
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Deep garnet with orange rims. Earthy. Underbrush, cassis, leather and sweet spice nose. Medium bodied with good fruit and acidity to balance. Finishes long and spiced.
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3/18/2024 - La Sprezzatura wrote: 94 Points
Beaucastel Tasting Wunderbrunnen Opfikon
general remarks:
the wines are in general more on the elegant side. red berric. high acidity. almost no wood (they only use 5000+ liters „foudres“) intermixed with some spices and flowery aromas. especially the older vintages gave me some "burgundy vibes". there was some bottle variation (some oxidative bottles), especially with some warmer and better rated vintages such as 1995 and 1999…
the younger the wines got the more similar they became and were hard to distinguish. also hard to tell where the younger vintages will end up in future. highlights were 1991 and 1996 (both 94 points).
in the cellar they use as low intervention as possible. every grape gets fermented on its own. they choose oxidative or reductive ageing for each grape separately according to the characteristics of the grape.
the chateau is owned and ran by the family perrin (7 ppl).
Tasting note Beaucastel 1996:
according to the according to the representative this was again a cooler vintage.
more ripe than the 1991 and more spices and cloves, youthful on the nose, some mature, red berries, still fresh and elegant. almost no wood. this is nice and my style.
on the palate it has quite high complexity, acidity is super high, and therefore also very high drink flow as we like it. burgundian style.
it has distincitve pepper and spice aromas, this gave me cab franc vibes as it had some vegetable aromas such as paprika, some rose leaves… nice and comple and very long. very enjoyable.
is ready now can still be held for more years.
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3/9/2024 - astroman wrote: 91 Points
Hawker Food Night: Blind, gamey, meaty, savory with rustic palate.
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3/9/2024 - melvinyeowq wrote: 93 Points
Hawker night at Caroline's: Brought for the host. Wasn't expecting much since aged CDPs can be a crapshoot, but was pleasantly surprised at how fresh this was. Clean nose, slightly plummy but vibrant blackcurrant fruit, tannins were resolved but still had a very good backbone.
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11/23/2023 - eyeguy Likes this wine: 96 Points
Brought to friend’s house for Thanksgiving (Jean). Once it opened, it was fabulous! Still lots of fruit, no tannins, just delicious!
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5/7/2023 - Dr Yes wrote:
Added in error
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10/20/2022 - MJohnsen83 wrote: 90 Points
Very close to beeing over the hill but still had some spark left.
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2/5/2022 - sharonandroland Likes this wine: 95 Points
Superb, great evolution, recognisable, complex
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11/25/2021 - pauldenisarcher wrote: 84 Points
Browning and thin, little fruit left.
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7/4/2021 - bnqwallace Likes this wine: 94 Points
Absolutely delicious. Took a short while to blow off the initial funk then appeared a mature, elegant, silky wine with well developed taninns and no shortness of fruit and a beguiling sweetness. If you like a young CNDP tannic fruit bomb then this is definitely not for you but a very good aged rhone that I suspect is on a long plateau.
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2/14/2021 - BVal wrote: 90 Points
5 years on since my last note and this my last bottle.
Interestingly, not much has changed . . . this has aged more gracefully than I had thought it might.
Color: light/medium ruby core -> light, diffuse garnet rim. Atypically light bouquet (for Beaucastel) of cherries, leather, iron, herbs de provence and a little barnyard. Spicy palate showing off those herbal notes with leather and macerated cherries. Lighter style palate for Beaucastel but I'm liking this a bit more than I did 5 years ago. Acidity seem appropriate on this bottle and while the finish could be a bit longer it's acceptable. I still think this is past its best but (surprisingly) still not over the hill.
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1/16/2021 - oldwines Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tasted at a friend’s house. Nice translucent lightly bricked garnet, age typical. Fairly complex and rounded with plummy, bacon and rich earth aromas and flavors. Mouth feel is slightly thin and the finish is moderately long but would hope for more depth and length. Not as “bretty” as many older Beaucastel can be. Mature, probably slightly past peak but not in danger of falling apart as yet.
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8/15/2020 - heidoanddave Likes this wine: 97 Points
A truly memorable and fabulous wine. Red and black dark fruit. Earthy spice . Exceptional finish.
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8/14/2020 - adamcaldwell wrote: flawed
This bottle was past peak and DOA imo.
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6/26/2020 - lepetitchateau wrote: 92 Points
This is classic 1996 - luscious, healthy black fruit, nicely moderate complexity and very earthy-minerally notes but ultimately the very high acidity ruins the party. A very pleasant start and overall enjoyed by the group.
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3/15/2020 - pbaek wrote:
Best bottle of this wine yet. Opens up with animal notes, funk. Is light on its feet with cool, upright fruit. Good acidity. Is more like Beau of old times now. Lovely.
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12/14/2019 - PhDP Likes this wine:
Manifestement 1996, c’est avant la période où l’alcool s’est mis à dominer les millésimes: ce vin est plein de finesse et de précision !
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5/23/2019 - Aris1a wrote:
Corked!
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5/11/2019 - Mackmoo Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drinking superbly now.
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2/3/2019 - Larry L Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still lots of life here! Served with osso bucco, and all earnestly wished for a second bottle. Fruit, acid, texture, and slight funk were beautifully balanced. Probably won't get better, so drink up.
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12/21/2018 - CamWheeler wrote: 90 Points
Beat your 2018 WOTY Dinner: Cinnamon, toast, charcoal, orange and meaty notes. Palate shows off light red fruit, with a clean profile, though the acidity is maybe a little sharp. Good but not great.
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4/17/2018 - forceberry wrote: 96 Points
A blend of Grenache (30%), Mourvèdre (30%), Counoise (10%), Syrah (10%) and Cinsault (5%) with the final 15% rounded out by Bourboulenc, Clairette, Muscardin, Picardan, Picpoul, Roussanne, Terret Noir and Vaccarèse. 13,5% alcohol. Tasted blind.
Moderately pale and quite translucent black cherry color with pale, brick-colored rim. At first the wine smells quite funky and rather peculiar with distinctively bretty, almost Gueuze lambic-kind of smell along with hints of tart green apples and fresh red fruit. However, the nose opens up to reveal aromas of dried blackberries, some cracking old leather, a little bit of smoky phenolic character, light tones of dried black cherries, hints of wild strawberries and an earthy touch of garrigue. The wine feels lively, vibrant and medium-bodied on the palate with surprisingly high acidity and complex, somewhat funky yet remarkably fresh flavors of juicy red fruits, some sour cherry bitterness, light green apple tones, a little bit of pipe tobacco, hints of leather and spicy phenolic character, a touch of salty licorice and a subtle undertone of barnyard. The wine feels very structured and serious with its crunchy, high acidity and moderately grippy and still relatively unresolved tannins. Overall the wine really doesn't come across as much Pape, as instead more Burgundian in style. The finish is remarkably long, firm and vibrant with moderately firm tannic grip and intense flavors of sour cherries, some spicy bitterness, a little bit of tart cranberry, a hint of leather and a touch of fresh wild strawberry.
At first my guess was going into the direction of funkier Northern Italy (Piedmont, mainly), but before I managed to think much deeper into that direction, other people started guessing French wines, which made me instantly recognize the style: my guess was Beaucastel with some age (15-20 years) to it. The wine was correct, but this was even a bit older than what I guessed! This wine is definitely very distinctive - not particularly "Châteauneuf-du-Pape" in style, but instead much more delicate and Burgundian, which is why you really might not think of CdP at first with this wine. The bretty funk here is instantly recognizable with the first whiff, but it isn't the rich, sweetly leathery barnyard character of classic Rioja, but instead quite spicy, savory and phenolic character which imparts this distinctive, somewhat funky and somewhat dirty note to the wine. Overall remarkably complex, fascinating and still surprisingly youthful for its age - unlike so many other CdP's, this is still going up and it will take many more years before this wine starts to decline. Definitely the most memorable Châteauneuf-du-Pape I've had to this date.
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3/14/2018 - wineman73 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nice garnet red color with little to no bricking. The nose provided scents of olive, game meat, and dark fruit and subtle violet note. The feel in mouth was medium with no tannins with flavors of red and dark fruits, game meat, and tapenade. Solid wine drink now until 2028. Score 92
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1/13/2018 - beatles wrote: 92 Points
Dinner with Beaucastel (Chez moi): From PB. Friendly, round –and mature. Very fine neuf from a small vintage, still no signs of fatigue, not even on day 2. Bravo
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11/24/2017 - noir Likes this wine: 94 Points
At the peak.
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11/6/2017 - derekjohn Likes this wine: 91 Points
Beginning to go over. Complex both on the nose and in the glass with great length.
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4/16/2017 - WKW57 wrote: flawed
Wine went past it drinking period by three years. Brownish color and flat no body.
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1/8/2017 - thehaughleydrinker Likes this wine: 90 Points
I feel that this could have scored higher a few years ago. A fine win, in every sense, but I think we've waited two or three years too long to enjoy this. Nevertheless, wonderful brick red verging on amber in the glass, with rustic animal characteristics on the nose. Taste is very well balanced, but with faded fruit. Drink up.
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12/5/2016 - winemaker Likes this wine: 91 Points
Last bottle. The grenache on this seemed more to the fore. The aromatics here are great. Very burgundian.
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11/3/2016 - LFCHALA wrote: 93 Points
95 vs 96. 1995: elegant and delicate. 1996: intense and persistent. In common: fine wines. We were in 5 of which 3 preferred 1996. I liked most of the 1995 vintage
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10/7/2016 - Zweder Likes this wine: 92 Points
DTC Chateauneuf du Pape (@ SS): Beautiful and mature bouquet with horse stable, saddle leather, garrigue and still some red berries. On the palate red berry fruits, good herbs and spices, beautifully fresh acidity and complex, earthy and autumn aromas. A beautiful, mature and elegant wine. What a nice surprise!
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6/17/2016 - pbaek wrote:
Took a few hours to open up. Fruit in brown tones, good structure, perhaps a bit polished. Lacks the wild character of older vintages of Beau. Not sure how this will evolve, but there is no hurry to drink up.
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5/29/2016 - Tony Molester Likes this wine:
No formal note, but quite bretty from memory.
good without much to add. A rustic texture on finish.
Drink or hold, no upside anticipated.
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5/16/2016 - BVal wrote: 88 Points
Color: light/medium ruby core -> light, diffuse garnet rim; pretty light looking for a Beaucastel, even one 20 years old. Atypically light bouquet (for Beaucastel) of cherries, iron, herbs de provence and a little barnyard. Spicy palate with leather and macerated cherries. Lightening up with acidity spiking through a barely medium-long finish. Past its best but not yet over the hill, drink these sooner vs. later.
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4/18/2016 - bon vivant wrote:
brought this to dinner at Paso pre HDR -started off a bit slow and needed air (and not get a chance to pre decant) kept putting on more structure and sweetness and was humming after 2 hrs when everyone moved on to the other goodies. Classic old Beau.
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4/18/2016 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 89 Points
Pre-Hospice du Rhone: Dinner at La Cosecha (La Cosecha, Paso Robles): Paul brought this one. This bottle seemed a slight bit oxidized to me. That is an area I am not sensitive to, but the folks at my end of the table had an issue with it. Ruby in color. The nose has a bit of barnyard but not what one might fear from this wine. Some nice raspberries. On the palate, decent acidity. Some fruit left. Nice mouthfeel. It may not have been at peak, but it was a pleasure to drink for me.
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4/2/2016 - oldwines Likes this wine: 92 Points
Medium ruby color with moderate bricking on the edge. Very perrery nose with cherry and earth. A little light on the tongue. Better after 2-3 hours in the decanter than earlier. Flavors reflect the nose with a very peppery and long aftertaste.
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1/23/2016 - tomlee wrote: 92 Points
Light crimson in color. Almost translucent. 13.5% ABV. Subtle nose of cherries, iron and Herbes de Provence. Delicate and ethereal on the palate. Flavors of blood, kirsch, dried plums and garrigue. Still solid on the finish even at 20 years of age. This wine has aged beautifully. A triumph for the vintage. Clearly ready to drink.
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1/7/2016 - PhDP Likes this wine:
En dégustation, je suis régulièrement déçu par les Beaucastel de cette période. Accompagné par un excellent repas, celui-ci m'a semblé équilibré et intense, sans la lourdeur alcooleuse que je craignais.
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12/18/2015 - Old Joe Likes this wine: 91 Points
Wine has lived up to its pedigree. At its peak but will probably continue to drink well in the near future
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11/28/2015 - nwaller Likes this wine: 88 Points
I disagreed with the opinion of my far more experienced friend who gave me this bottle some years ago. I felt i waited too long and we missed its prime. Needed decanting obviously and time to breath but typical and refined CdP on palate and nose had a hint of tiredness about it. Very nice but just a little past it, like me perhaps!?
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11/14/2015 - Argrath wrote: 90 Points
(Blind tasting)
Fully mature nose. Animaly, warm fruit, chocolate and meat stock. Good complexity and still some freshness.
Medium-fullish, mature palate with fully integrated tannins, good concentration, warm fruit, some alcoholic heat and good complexity. Satisfying finish.
Still fresh, this was a pleasant and harmonius ChdP.
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10/12/2015 - Saxman1984 wrote:
This wine is like an elegant gentlemen. Slightly past its prime but a fine wine nonetheless. The wine improved becoming more aromatic and gaining weight over the course of two days. The nose had notes of earth, leather, smoked meats, and a peppery herbal note. The palate still had a nice acidity and roasted red fruit flavors.
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8/15/2015 - Mackmoo wrote: flawed
Oxidised.
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5/17/2015 - Pikemeister123 Likes this wine: 85 Points
Enjoyed this more than previous bottles. Some nice red fruits but also typical Rhone leather and garrigue. Touch of spice and less brett farmyard funk than others (I think you can have too much of a good thing in that respect). Drinking nicely right now but won't last too much longer.
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5/9/2015 - levinml wrote: 92 Points
I think the community has underrated this. Good balance, classic C de P flavor profiles and nice finish. Nothing was extreme, just an interesting, properly balanced wine that tastes good over two nights. Also, not over the hill (assuming proper cellering) at all.
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3/15/2015 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Earthy and tertiary, rich and long, low fruited but very savory and delicious.
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3/13/2015 - ifishtoo Likes this wine: 91 Points
Finishing up a case. Won't go much longer but pretty good right now.
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12/31/2014 - pbaek wrote:
Given my previous remarks on this wine, this was a pleasant surprise as there was real Beaucastel funk on the nose and palate here. Very well contained, the red fruit restrained and tightly packed with pepper and spices. In a great spot now.
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12/7/2014 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 92 Points
Smoke, leather, olives. Finesse and typicity, effortless.
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10/21/2014 - mark1961 wrote: 91 Points
Excellent. Really excellent Big smoky leather tastes. Decanted.
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10/6/2014 - ifishtoo Likes this wine: 92 Points
OUr second of a case. Not a heavyweight but still a lovely wine. Nice fruit, mature nose with a hint of the barnyard. No need to hold longer.
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6/24/2014 - FransS wrote: 84 Points
Very, very ripe, missing body, but no bad taste; not worth the label.
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6/8/2014 - TexasBob Likes this wine: 87 Points
Light garnet with sediment. Dark chocolate and raspberries with black pepper on the nose.
Notes of concentrated Bing cherries with raspberries, black pepper, and a certain bitter/sour note at the end palate that dominates into the finish. On the plus side, there is a very strong sense of terroir.
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4/14/2014 - ifishtoo Likes this wine: 93 Points
Our patience has been rewarded! The first of a case. Bright garnet color with beautiful nose of violets and strawberries that is just enchanting. Medium depth on the palate again with sweet cherries and some chocolate and tobacco. Minimal barnyard and no Brett in this one. Lingering aftertaste. Right in the sweet spot now but could go longer.
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2/27/2014 - hadwin Likes this wine: 86 Points
WES - Château de Beaucastel (LSE Holborn): Medium intense. Clear and bright. Orange rim. lacking intensity on the nose, a little watery. Touch of raisons. Rich, smooth with some bite. Lacking in intensity.
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2/27/2014 - tendring wrote: 87 Points
Wine Education Service - Château de Beaucastel (LSE): Simple raisiny nose.
Fruity, high acidity, a good wine but not great.
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1/26/2014 - kurishin Likes this wine: 93 Points
Needed 1.5 hrs of decanting for the berry compote to come out on the palate and through the excellent finish. The balance in this wine was excellent, tannins dissipated. The mourvedre played nicely with the grenache and syrah. Forest floor noted muted on the nose and early palate. Drinking well now!
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11/14/2013 - LopedeAguirre Likes this wine: 88 Points
Very thin on appearance. First the burnt tires overwhelm, then it becomes more balanced but never really comes out. Soft fruit and flowers, long finish, but not much complexity.
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10/22/2013 - jhngo wrote: 90 Points
thin funky tasting. must better next day much more expressive.
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9/29/2013 - empire80 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Somewhat different to my last bottle, but still very enjoyable. Meaty and mature. Drink soon.
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9/17/2013 - CO_Roots13 wrote: 87 Points
The nose started off very timid. It opened up into something quite nice. Red and black fruit with a hint of sweetened umami. The palette also needed time. After 15 minutes subtle cherry and mild tobacco were present. A little over the hill, but much better than the last bottle.
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7/20/2013 - rmcnees wrote: 88 Points
My tasting notes and score are consistent with earlier tasting which was posted in 2010. The color is opaque dark ruby, the nose is subdued, this is medium bodied and shows layers of rather austere black berry and black cherry fruits accented by subtle black pepper giving way to slightly earthy leathery red fruit on a meaty acidic tannin finish.
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5/13/2013 - CO_Roots13 wrote: 80 Points
Started out good; ripe red fruit and barnyard on the nose. Well integrated tannins and dried fruit on the pallet. It proceeded to die in the glass within 20 minutes. I wish I didn't have another bottle. At least it's only a split.
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4/24/2013 - Machiavelli wrote:
Complex nose, with some barnyard funk and rapsberry fruit. Unexpectedly high acid on the palate, with tart red fruits on the complex and long finish. Surprising, in a good way!
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4/3/2013 - Nikechulo wrote: flawed
DOA
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3/29/2013 - swfc wrote:
Brick tinged hue, time to drink up. Some nice rich cherry and roasted notes. Well rounded on the palate, if lacking in real complexity. This was ready to drink - perhaps a little late. Pleasant, easy drinking, but not as characterful as some from this producer.
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3/28/2013 - WildeMeeuw wrote: 89 Points
Kleur: Oranjerood Aroma / bouquet: Aangename combinatie van 'paardenstal' en zoete kruidigheid. Om specifiek te zijn: kruidkoek, zoet rood fruit, zachte en zoete drop. Smaak / Afdronk: Prachtige zachte rijpe wijn met voldoende power. Zachte zuurgraad, milde en wat zoetige tannines, voldoende structuur en een prettige bite. Royale lengte. Algemeen / potentieel: Aangename Ch9dP. Heerlijk, niet groots. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 11 + Smaak / Afdronk: 16 + Algemeen / potentieel: 7 = 89/100
Color: Orange red Aroma / Bouquet: Pleasant combination of 'stable' and sweet spiciness. To be specific, gingerbread, sweet red fruit, soft and sweet licorice. Taste / Finish: Beautiful soft ripe wine with enough power. Soft acidity, mild and sweetish tannins, ample structure and a pleasant bite. Generous length. General / potential: Pleasant Ch9dP. Good, not great. 50 + Colour: 5 + Aroma / Bouquet: 11 + Taste / Finish: 16 + General / potential: 7 = 89/100
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3/3/2013 - Axone wrote: 93 Points
Superbe vin, toute en finesse.
Grande réussite pour un millésime difficile.
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1/21/2013 - BradKNYC wrote: flawed
A disappointing evening of Beaucastel 1995 - 2005. (Snooth.): Corked.
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1/5/2013 - closdupapes wrote: 92 Points
It has held up well over time. Still has life, but should be consumed over the next few years.
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11/30/2012 - pbaek wrote:
This is still 2-3 years too young and takes a long time to open up to something that reminds me of Chateauneuf. The style here is more clean and polished compared to previous vintages of Beaucastel, something I'm not too keen on. Give me the rugged, genuine expression please. Some nice cherry fruit and lavender on the palate, especially after 3 hours, also licorice pastilles. Pretty good stuff after several hours but doesn't reach the heights of older vintages.
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10/28/2012 - ekenneth wrote: 94 Points
My own note from 3 years ago, said this probably wasn't getting better. I was wrong.
This is still meaty and pinot-like at the same time; light on funk, but dark, viscous, and herbal - and there's just a hint of a musty, medicinal smell on the nose. This is beautiful.
By the way. This was served with roast duck breast and shitake mushroom. That's a good match.
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9/30/2012 - palbe wrote: 90 Points
Dark hue, quite dense. Surprisingly fruity, with quite intense notes of cherry, plums, black olives and garrigue. Minimal brett. Intense, linear and long. Very pretty wine with lots of life in it; from cool cellars I think this can still be kept.
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7/1/2012 - europat55 wrote: 89 Points
I was a little disappointed by this bottle, but overall still an excellent bottle of wine.
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6/17/2012 - pbaek wrote:
So I think this is Beaucastel from before the Perrins cleaned up their act and started to make all too polished wines - or maybe we're just in between here? There is no brett neither too much farmyard here, but there is plenty of Southern Rhone character. Lavender, thyme, leather and subdued, red cherry fruit. Still somewhat restrained with a promise of more to come. 13.5% alcohol as per label - so also from a time when finesse and elegance was the order of the day.
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5/26/2012 - vegasoenophile wrote: 97 Points
Light game on the nose with big red berry and a very slight mushroom note. Also a suggestion of copper minerality. On the palate, wonderful red berry fruit up front. Minerals. White pepper, cigar tobacco. Great aromatics and flavors. Complex, layered and well balanced.
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4/28/2012 - BayswaterBill Likes this wine: 90 Points
Not good on opening but delicious 2-3 hours after decanting with good nose, complex fruity/spicy flavours and some sweetness. Very enjoyable but probably at or slightly past its best. Drink up!
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2/9/2012 - bordeaux4wino Likes this wine: 94 Points
Well, I had been waiting to drink this for a while because it won't go much longer. The wife and I got a little getaway at an Inn for V-day. I brought this along. I put it on ice briefly before tasting so as to bring to correct temp and I made sure to borrow a nice glass from the wine bar.
In Appearance, the wine was clear and, as expected, a medium garnet that was brick-like in color at the rim. The wine also showed thick legs.
The Nose was clean and developed and about medium in intensity with aromas of cedar, smoke, sweet spice, leather and tobacco. The secondary and tertiary characteristics are certainly more prominent than the fruit, but it also had hints of mostly red fruit, like plum and cherry.
The Palate was dry with medium+ body, well balanced medium alcohol and medium+ tannins and acidity. The wine is still hanging on very strongly. The flavor intensity was about medium+ and again showed a lot of tertiary characteristics like dried fruits, baking spices, cigar box, and a lovely hint of sandalwood. The fruit flavors were there again--red fruits, dried fruits of cherry and raisin with some plum. The finish had a long length that really lingered in the back palate.
Overall, this was just a lovely wine and it was a great wine for a Vday celebration back in the room. This wine is really matured and complex, but if you still have any out there, drink it soon. The tannin and acidity is at peak!
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12/20/2011 - le fouloir wrote: 93 Points
This was a surprisingly strong and classic Beaucastel. I would say that this is a medium bodied Beaucastel with excellent structure. Many layers of well defined classic Beaucastel flavors -- you name it, spice, pepper, tobacco, sweet cherry fruit. Excellent wine!
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12/12/2011 - FransS wrote:
After the rubber, stinky nose I didn't dare to taste the wine, no rating
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11/27/2011 - fredb Likes this wine:
Dark rust red color with medium transparency. Decanted off of minimal sediment. Aromas of herbs, blackberry, licorice, cherry, and a hint of grilled meat. Palate is full of leather and herbs with cherry and licorice filling in the blanks in a medium-weight presentation. Not a blockbuster, but an exemplary bottle showing why cellaring classic wines is worthwhile. Delicious and drinking in prime form. Drink.
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10/24/2011 - roquenroell Likes this wine: 92 Points
From magnum, decanted 4 hours. Impressive hoisin/ plum sauce soja nose, long sweet plum compote palate. Not your usual Beaucastel but very interesting and surprising.
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9/27/2011 - thomaskeil wrote: 93 Points
Decanted 45 minutes (benefited). Light garnet. Back to the form of the first bottle (my second must have been flawed). This had brilliant red, spicy fruit on the nose and palate. Sense of underbrush was strong. Very focused structure (bright acidity and fine tannins) to accent the fruit. Complexity and finesse. Seemed very much of place. Was awesome at the table.
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9/24/2011 - winemaker wrote: 95 Points
Awesome bottle of CdP! Beautifully mature. Tastes of sweet Grenache, leather, garrigue, with lovely tea notes. Outstanding!
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7/16/2011 - tooch wrote: 90 Points
Saturday Night at Ian's (Ian's House): For me, this didn't have classic Beaucastel characteristics. This traded the barnyard funk for the sappy tones of strawberry, sour cherry, rhubarb, and herbs. The palate was elegant and refined with raspberry, pipe tobacco with some brambly tones. No question that this was an enjoyable Chateauneuf-de-Pape, but it lacked the rusticity that I always crave from Beaucastel.
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7/10/2011 - Paul D wrote: 90 Points
Developed appearance with a medium mahogany core and a medium pale browning rim. Complex, developed, attractive nose with leather, spice, hints of undergrowth and brown sugar, some underlying sweet red fruit. Medium/full bodied on the palate, integrated soft tannins, attractive mature red fruit, leather, some nice fresh acidity and a good length, spicy/savoury/sweet finish. Mature and drinking perfectly - a good bottle.
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7/9/2011 - Zazzaman wrote:
Tawny red, berries spices and leather on nose, soft mature tannins, very accomplished and balanced on palate. Kept a bit too long for my taste 15/20
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6/2/2011 - johneagle wrote:
I really didn't like this - thin sour and dull. Sold the rest
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5/2/2011 - empire80 wrote: 94 Points
Just perfectly mature,with gentle subdued tannin. Almost burgundian palate but with subtle pepperand tobacco tones to give the game away. Wow - I hope my other 2 bottles are this good.
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2/26/2011 - MicklethePickle wrote: 91 Points
Now this is what great Chateauneuf is all about. And a very pleasant surprise too in a non-acclaimed year. Medium ruby with a hint of browning at the rim. Quite viscous. Lovely Provencal aroma displays all of the best aromas of the region. Garrigue and pipe tobacco. Muted cherries too. A very round and elegant wine but still showing a lot of it's Mourvedre character, this is a lovely drink. A shame it's my only bottle because although fully mature, it shows no signs of decline. 5-12-16-8:91/100.
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2/15/2011 - pilot360 wrote: 86 Points
Cork in excellent condition, bought from wine commune - seems a bit tired, more sweet/wet tobacco, faint red fruits, leather.
The last bottle of 96 I buy.
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2/3/2011 - dexterng wrote: 90 Points
Not as powerful as I expected. Nose is full with wet tobacco, cedar, color is brick red, show signs of aging. Taste is strong with dry fruits and a bit of blackberry. Still very nice.
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1/28/2011 - Tartiflette wrote: 90 Points
Not typically Ch.du Pape/Beaucastel, but very nice never the less. Tawny color in the rim. Barnyard, sweet berries, tobacco. Lacks some tannins. Don't pair with powerfull food. Not at all what I expected, but very nice never the less. Quite refined like a Bourgogne.
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1/23/2011 - concord wrote:
Black fruits, pepper, well integrated tannins. Good length, nose really opened up with time in glass
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12/9/2010 - pilot360 wrote: 86 Points
Nose and palate of sweet tobacco, thyme, and red fruits. This bottle had less tannin, nothing to balance out the sweetness.
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12/4/2010 - no leashes wrote: 90 Points
Not a great Beaucastel, but very good. Initially tight, tart cherry, but after an hour in the decanter opened up to reveal black fruit, spice and some earthy flavors.
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11/13/2010 - johneagle wrote: 80 Points
Very disappointing indeed. Thin, hard, sharp and metallic on opening; following day it had opened up a bit but was pretty unrewarding. Somewhere there you can see a distant glimpse of something interesting, but its very faint.
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11/7/2010 - goldscalpel wrote: 88 Points
First night for me was undrinkable. Full of barnyard aroma. Next night was much improved and I actually enjoyed it. The earthiness was more restrained and the fruit was more enjoyable.
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10/19/2010 - bacchusnyon wrote: 89 Points
Nearing the end of its lifespan - drink up. The tannins had receded, and the fruit had become slightly fig-like, with some residual jammy-plum overtones. No "meaty" CdP flavours, but a very pleasant bottle. Not as good as other Beaucastels I have tried however.
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10/10/2010 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 90 Points
A couple of cases on a Saturday afternoon: Really nice showing for this bottle. Ruby in color. The nose has a fair amount of barnyard which I like. Also some cherries and some hay. Tart on the palate. Raspberries and dark cherries. Slightly thin. Mature and I would not hold these for a lot longer (depending on your tastes). It is drinking very well today though.
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8/20/2010 - troutmonster Likes this wine:
Drank from double magnum. Good dose of earth and brett, but not offensive like a couple of other Beaucastels that I've tasted. This gave way to some dried red fruits, meatiness and the backbone to stick around awhile. But why wait? Drink 'em if you got 'em.
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8/7/2010 - pilot360 wrote: 94 Points
Cork and bottle/foil in great condition. Hoping this bottles is a fine as the last one. bricking at edges, black in color with some muddiness. Nose of mushroom, burning wood embers, lots of wet soil and a great dark cherry finish. THe palate is smooth, integrated, long finish. chalk, grape, cedar and tart red currant. An excellent example of an medium bodied wine that just brings it all together. This note from opening the bottle at 55 deg, and trying within 10 minutes of opening. I will see if there are positive changes over the next 2 hours.
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7/31/2010 - TD2Irish wrote: 94 Points
Earth, porcini mushrooms, graphite, cedar box, pepper, sweet red fruit, everything I want in a CDP.
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7/28/2010 - Brix wrote: 93 Points
Popped and poured, and enjoyed over two hours with steak au poivre. Beef drippings and horse droppings, cracked pepper, old leather, and jammy plums. Bloody and earthy and primal. Bright and silky on the palate, with sweet cherries, racy acidity, and very soft, integrated tannin. Great clarity in the glass, but the sediment left behind renders one side of the bottle opaque. This was a remarkably fresh bottle, but I'd still say that the wine is ready to go and there's no reason to hold it much longer.
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5/9/2010 - Rick-again wrote: 90 Points
very nice - drinking well at this point part of a large vertical and help its own
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4/19/2010 - Faryan wrote: 93 Points
Mini Beaucastel Vertical (81-01) with 86 Sauternes (Bethesda, MD): Another beauty from an unheralded vintage. This wine was quite mercurial in the glass, opening at first a bit mute but slowly developing a mélange of secondary characteristics, before switching over to a very candied and bright punch like strawberry/acai element on the nose. The palate was restrained and elegant. I think this wine is another keep. 93-94pts
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4/17/2010 - Zweder wrote: 88 Points
Very elegant wine with soft red fruits. All the C9duPape characteristics are there, but the wine is just medium bodied. Over the years my score is only going down, so it might be time to finish this wine.
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3/7/2010 - rmcnees wrote: 88 Points
Brackish dark color - subdued nose - medium bodied, complex layers of black cherry accented by subtle black pepper giving way to slightly earthy leathery red fruits on a silky tannin finish.
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2/28/2010 - ekenneth wrote: 92 Points
This was drinking very well, and even better than the last bottle I had. There was a touch of the expected brett/ funk on the nose, but it had a deep, rich core of beef blood, dried dates, and soft, almost pinot-like fruit. This is a good light-to-medium bodied beaucastel, but where sometimes Musar reminds me of beaucastel (or a dozen other things), this reminded me of a Musar.
Now I want some Musar....
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2/15/2010 - pbaek wrote:
So I opened a bottle of this to replace the corked 1998 R Usseglio CdP. Boy, this wine is still SO young. Beautiful purple red. The nose is almost non-existing. A bit of bright cherry fruit and lavender, but that is it. So closed. Silky and elegant on the palate with pretty red cherry fruit, lavender and just a bit if licorice. There is none of that horse sweat, saddle leather or farmyard that I usually find in Beaucastels pre 1997. Opens up a bit with air to show spices and bright, polished fruit. This wine is still in its shell. Will need another 3+ years to come out. The potential is there.
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1/22/2010 - honest bob wrote: 88 Points
Gorgeous tawny colour, shading from brick red in the middle to orange at rim. Astonishing scent, no... smell would be more accurate. This wine reeks intensely of... well, a mixture of methane, manured soil on a hot evening and an old man's parlour the morning after a heavy smoking session. A hint of unwashed farmer's armpit rounds off the picture. So far, so unappealing (to me). The taste was, however, surprisingly pleasant, whether cellar cool at 11C or two hours later from the decanter at room temeprature. Strong acidity, well-resolved tannins, gentle mature fruit somewhere not quite identifiable in the morello cherry-raspberry end of the spectrum. Compared to the young Cotes du Rhone drunk just before: this wine is like diving into the deep end of the pool as opposed to teetering down the steps into the shallow end. The taste is layered and deep, if not broad. A challange to the palate, the intellect and above all... to the nose. Good thing we had it with a hefty beef stew. It just made 88P.
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1/3/2010 - Rick-again wrote: 92 Points
from a Mag - openned and decanted at 4p for a 730p party wine got better and better as the night went on - I took the last best mouthful at 11p.....color fading more than I might have thought it would, wonderful CdP nose and earbthy, fruity in the mouth with a smooth moderately long finish - this may be best 96 I have had.....maybe it was due to the bigger bottle
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12/28/2009 - johneagle wrote: 84 Points
Christmas Day 2009. All the elements were there, but somehow this vintage always seems to disappoint (and in Bordeaux too). No real guts and drinks as though it is 10 years older and fading. Cherries, or cherry stones, a little sour, tannins light but not very well assimilated and tart.
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12/19/2009 - Cal Bear wrote: 89 Points
Nice deep red color, barely developing a hint of brown at the edges. Bouquet of leather, cedar and cherries. A little musky. Red cherries, strong tannins, lovely red fruit flavors. Balanced and drinking very well right now, really nice old Beaucastel. At peak. Not as deep or complex as hoped, but hopes were high.
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11/27/2009 - aktormedic wrote:
Opened with the the other gents working at the wine store with me in the middle of the Thanksgiving Rush...we were drinking on duty, so sue me!! And yes, the wine was good enough to make some customers wait a bit!
Drinking absolutely en point right now... I have had this bottle 3 times and this was absolutely the best I have had, very well balanced between the funky meaty nose, well aged meaty and irony palate and the nice acidity and long finish. I do not understand Parker's 89 score. I do not give scores, but this is in the top 5 wines of the year for me. Very nice and got more and more interesting as the night wore on...there was nothing left by the close of the store.
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11/22/2009 - ekenneth wrote: 93 Points
Very nice, older Beaucastel, with, early on, fig and cherry, plumping up to dark fruit, allspice, light funk, saddle leather and beef broth. Later on, the front darkens even more and the back palate lightens up. Good stuff. I don't see this fading soon, but probably not getting better.
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11/13/2009 - Jared wrote: 90 Points
This is really my first experience with Beaucastel as the previous three tries all resulted in corked bottles. Definitely has some age with its brick red color. Really liked the nose of hay and fur. Not a ton of fruit left but what was present was pleasing and fun. Looking forward to drinking more. 90pts.
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11/7/2009 - bajayngo wrote:
popped at the 09 Cayuse dinner. Pretty big dose of brett when 1st popped but came around with interesting kalamata olive, dried cherries and anise. Still pretty tannic but really cool CDP w/13yrs on it!
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10/18/2009 - mukden wrote: 88 Points
NOish. Maybe I do not understand Beaucastel. Unlike other CNFs it seems always has pretensions to be more. It seems to differ from other quality CNFs, in its grape mix, in that it does not often drink well young, it takes about 10 years before it is approachable and it closes up arbitrarily at different times. Then other times, you think it is really not up to much, like this one; this bottle had no real development, had a port-like taste, no obvious nose and slight colour particles in it; leading me to think that it is breaking up and on the way out. Yet, I have drunk this several times over its life and it has always failed to offer up much.
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10/4/2009 - Druidh wrote: 90 Points
Good bottle of wine. Some browning at the edges. Nose was all about gaminess, dry earth, clean leather and some cardamon. Great acid and the right amount of tannin. The mouth feel was good with the earth and leather predominating in the taste at the front. On the finish the red cherries finally popped out. long finish. Not the best Beaucastel I've had but much more than adequate and a great match for a cool fall evening with a steak.
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9/8/2009 - David J Cooper wrote:
Medium red. Some fruit and pepper. Really acidic and frankly a bit nasty and dull.
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7/11/2009 - jjclips2 wrote: 85 Points
Kruger's 75th (Corsair): Not in the right company of the other wines. Overshadowed by old bordeaux and burgs. Smoked meat, spicy, loads of alcohol. Very high in acid and low in fruit character with more leather and tar shining than the fruit. Out of place in the tasting.
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6/15/2009 - bordeaux4wino wrote:
A Chateaunuef from a great vintner. I love Beaucastel and they are one of my favorite vintners in the Rhone. Still, the '96 was no where near the vintage that '98 was and the drink window on this is closing fast. I still have a bottle of this and it is one of those things where I have been desperately looking for the right occasion and/or the right meal to crack it open. It needs to be had soon!
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6/14/2009 - Rick-again wrote: 89 Points
a nice wine browning at edges, the nose is pleasant with the Beaucatel barnyar but in a very nice way,lots of sour cheeries and gaminess ....lack the layers and complexity form last nights 98 Beaucastel, long finish
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4/20/2009 - Zweder wrote: 89 Points
Occasional tasting group: C9duP 1998 - 2001 plus a few extra's. (@ PVa): Not as convincing as last year. Maybe we did not give it enough air. The bouquet is not very expressive, although all the C9 smells are present. Soft and light spiciness, acidity and bitterness.
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3/21/2009 - KeithAkers wrote: 88 Points
Beaucastel Vertical 81-01 (Gurnee IL, Jordan's house): nose: good nose of leather, black pepper, garrigue, black and sour cherries with a bit of meaty tones. Nice nose, but in a lower level then all of the other beaucastels that were opened as it lacked some of the extra complexity or layering and depth that had set the other beacastels apart
taste: good medium feel with tones of leather, garrigue, black and sour cherries and slight hints of meat. Well resolved and feels that this is as good as its going to get. Lacking depth, but is very nice
overall: a really good and solid beaucastel. Just has a bit lacking that was present in other beaus. Good tones and flavors, there just isn't the depth that was present in the other vintages of beaucastel
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2/27/2009 - pilot360 wrote: 94 Points
bottle/cork in excellent condition. Opened at 4pm, drank 1st glass at 8pm,was smokey, gamy, sour cherries and lush mouthfeel. 1100 the wine was at its peak. This particular wine was outstanding. I have not had what I would consider a 95 or above wine yet, but this comes as close for me as it gets. I always find that older bordeaux/rhone wines are consumed way too early after opening, and almost always improve after several hours. The color changed from a light brown upon opening to dark plum. This was not a overpowering jaw dropping in your face wine, but a very elegant, rich subtle pleasure
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1/31/2009 - winelovr2001 wrote: 88 Points
A nice Beaucastel, but definitely not from a spectacular vintage in the CdP. Though slightly herbal, this wine shows some nice rhubarb, cherry, leather, earth, and some game. Tannins are fully integrated and this wine is ready to go...I wouldn't age it any longer.
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1/29/2009 - whits wrote: 90 Points
bretty nose, perfumed well with leather, game, and animal scents, very interesting nose, nice balance on the palate, juicy acid, red berries, mushroom, plum, and green tea on the finish, excellent
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1/1/2009 - ron m wrote:
Earth and funk, subtle nose similar to the wonderful '90 I just had a month before. Opened up a little during dinner. Pretty smooth on the palate, meaty and earty, but a bit too acidic. Medium body. Nice medum length finish. OK wine. Day #2 - slightly better, or was it the cooler serving temp? More meaty but still overall average.
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11/30/2008 - decaturwinedude wrote: 88 Points
Popped and poured. Mouvedre all over the nose. Meaty, leathery, and dank. Horsey. Palate shows sweet cherry and plum fruit, bright acidity and a sweet, slightly-candied finish. Finish falls off rather quickly and the wine becomes one dimensional and uninteresting with air.
Not particularly memorable, but a good Beau for drinking now.
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11/22/2008 - vanpe003 wrote: 90 Points
Last bottle, and a good one. Opens up with a bit of brett on the nose that quickly blows off. After 30 minutes, the palate develops a smoothnes and presents as fully resolved. Medium in weight, but quite lush, with acidity and tannins fully absorbed.
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11/16/2008 - vanpe003 wrote: flawed
Corked. The bottom of the cork itself was quite musty, and the wine was not up to prior bottles.
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11/2/2008 - chbeaumont wrote: 89 Points
Showing age in its colour; initially muffled, later meaty, hickory; palate more open, sauvage & garrigue, gamey, has grunt & presence. Powerful & deep, needs time. Later became attenuated & lumpy. This is a real rollercoaster of a bottle (& wine - a bottle last year was imore impressive). Potentially more to come. A friend described this as 'slutty' & had a point.
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6/8/2008 - french16 wrote: 90 Points
This was wine was somewhat puzzling. It looked and tasted older that I thought and the way it's going I don't see it holding 20 more years the way Beaucastel can.
Nose was complex and very interesting: herbs, meat, olives, animal. To me it looked like Mourvedre was dominating on the nose (and I loved it!). Once on the palate, this Beaucastel a little disapointing. Don't get me wrong it is good but not as you would expect and it is certainly due to the vintage. Tasted older than its age. Maybe the bottle, maybe not...
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5/19/2008 - vanpe003 wrote: 92 Points
Sweaty, gamey with dark fruits and a bit of cedar on the nose. Medium bodied palate with peppery fruit a bit on the sweet side and a fair amount of remaining acidity, but balanced with good depth of fruit. Long finish. Much better after a couple of hours open...fruit gains weight while acidity fades somewhat. 90 pts on opening, 92 pts after 3 hours.
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4/21/2008 - MLD11 wrote: 93 Points
Second bottle I have had of this, and a very different one. THis one much more classic and balanced, has a way togo yet.
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3/1/2008 - blancdeblancs wrote:
all leather---touches of animal, coffee and rich blackberry notes. still youthful with structure to spare. spicy potpourri otf.
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2/22/2008 - Zweder wrote: 92 Points
Loaded with (red) fruits and spices in the bouquet. Same for the taste. Very juicy, full bodied and good bitterness. Complex and long aftertaste. Give it several more years.
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2/12/2008 - WST wrote: 88 Points
Opened this with non-wine-drinking friends to who did not believe a wine could smell like "barnyard." They are now believers. A nice Beaucastel, light on its feet.
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2/6/2008 - d'Artagnan wrote: 89 Points
Février 2008: dégustation verticale du Château Beaucastel (Steaf Frites Saint Paul (avenue Laurier)): Nez évolué, un peu oxydé, intriguant. La bouche est étonnante, il rest eplus de fruit que prévu et la fraicheur y est. Vieille confiture, rond, un peu asséchant en finale. Beaucoup mieux qu'à l'ouverture. 88-89 pts
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1/31/2008 - jsebiri wrote: 93 Points
Had at dinner , Bar Boulud a wonderful new spot in NYC >Special l wine full of barnyard and leather .....Very complex for sure , this was really something > looking forward to drinking future generations of this wine
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1/30/2008 - SimonG wrote:
Ray Q's 'Naked' Offline (DigitalMail's office, London): Brown, dull. Slightly figgy and pruney. Sweet fruit. A love it or loathe it style, but I like it. Must be southern Rhone and Chateauneuf. Guess 1990 or thereabouts. ****
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1/4/2008 - Paul D wrote: 90 Points
This really is an unpredictable, chameleon of a wine. When initially opened the nose was very funky (brett?), too funky, also showing earth and maybe some leather. Although the tannins were integrated the palate was thin and ungenerous with similar bretty flavours and high, unintegrated acidity.
However coming back to this 2-3 hours later saw a complete transformation. The nose suddenly showed sweet red fruit, spice, leather and fruit cake. The palate, whilst still only medium bodied was soft and giving, with sweet strawberry and raspberry fruit, leather hints, a lovely spicy mid-palate and then a sweet lingering finish with fine, integrated acidity. Just lovely.
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12/18/2007 - pilot360 wrote: 88 Points
Nose of cedar and asian spice and moss. Light tart with high acidity, spice box and light red fruits. Would benefit decanted. Last glass of the bottle left in glass for 2 hours, seems better.
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12/4/2007 - Silverswimmer wrote: 86 Points
First bottle was sharp and thin & a with peculiar nose so we binned it.
Second bottle - deep red with no unpleasant nose - just bramble jelly and deep fruit straight after poring it into the decanter.Little crust. Full fruit flavour with still some background tannins to make it really perform with meat dishes.
A really good wine from what is not a good Rhone vintage and at its peak with a few more years in it yet.
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11/1/2007 - Sweet Nancy wrote:
Superior to the bottle consumed in February 2007 sourced at the same time. This bottle showed very well with a wonderful nose of dark red fruit and just enough animal funk. Long finish.
Beau that outperformed the vintage.
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10/31/2007 - Wineosseur wrote: 91 Points
Popped and poured after trick or treating...not as open and funky as a bottle last month, but showed nice balance between fruit, earth, minerals, and acidity. Great with food.
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10/30/2007 - btankey wrote: 94 Points
Really surprised at how deep and extracted this wine was... nice integration of all elements with no signs of decline... I like the brett in this bottle, very interesting, intriguing, AND delicious... had this alongside a bottle of 2002 Clarendon Hills Grenache Romas and they were similarly impecable and dense, with Beaucastel providing great dirty elements
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10/28/2007 - gdbarton1@gmail.com wrote:
Medium ruby, bright. Red fruit, sage, thyme and pepper.
Medium bodied, rich red fruit, acid, spice and rich finish, well balanced,
Mice, rich mature wine with diverse flavor of red fruit, pepper spice, and acid, good finish. Very good, better than I expected.
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9/22/2007 - thomaskeil wrote: 84 Points
What a difference from the last bottle (in Februaray). Decanted 30 minutes. This was lighter in color and quite thin on the palate with little or no structure (except for decent acidity). The nose never really gave up much with just some light red fruit fruit and spice.
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9/8/2007 - vanpe003 wrote:
Northwoods Wineapalooza; 9/7/2007-9/9/2007 (Boulder Junction, Wisconsin): No dtl'd notes. Marker for 3 day tasting @ Wineapalooza. Opened Sunday night, as things were winding down. I was surprised how well this was drinking given some of the earlier notes. Soft, fragrant, sweet. Little remaining CdP funk. Medium bodied. Would probably rate 88-90.
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6/10/2007 - Paul D wrote:
No formal note. Medium/deep garnet core, pale garnet rim. Spicy strawberry fruit, fruit cake, VA, some honey. Seemd a little fuller on the palate with subdued fruit & some unresolved tannin. Needs food on this showing. Low level cork taint?
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5/21/2007 - liberec wrote: 89 Points
Not as big as expected. Fairly light for a beaucastel with the acidity a little higher than it should have been. Good fruit and wonderful nose.
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4/19/2007 - jhngo wrote: 85 Points
Very thin little fruit wine. Not very smokey or meaty. Very high in acid but not much on flavor.
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3/26/2007 - MLD11 wrote: 90 Points
Quite hard work. Animal nose. Decent fruit but I would say currently acidity too high not sure if it will fade. Complex and interesting though. A wine that "needs food" could have been invented for.
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3/1/2007 - tendring wrote: 80 Points
Wine Education Service - Château de Beaucastel (Imperial College): This wine smells of roast vegetables (almost burnt) and chocolate.
There's a porty quality here, very ready, interesting but not that attractive.
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2/19/2007 - Vino Me wrote: 89 Points
ArieS kindly brought this wine to Pinot Envy's house last week for an offline with a dozen members of the CRS. 1996 was a mediocre year in the Southern Rhone and this wine was demonstrative of the vintage. Beaucastel grows all 13 permitted grape varieties but it is Mourvèdre for which they are known. Mourvèdre usually comprises 1/3 of the final blend. Can't recall if ArieS decanted this bottle upon arrival. Medium crimson red color. I thought this had a muted nose for a Beaucastel. Some typical Southern Rhone barnyard aromas which blew off with some air in the glass. Medium bodied. The fruit in this wine had a somewhat prickly taste. Red fruit with leather, black pepper and plum. Although I think this will be an early drinking Beaucastel (relatively speaking), this is a wine which is still in need of some bottle age. 88-89 points.
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2/10/2007 - bells0 wrote: 90 Points
Soft bramble fruits with hints of earth, spice and bacon[?]. Balanced acidity and mellow tannins make it very easy to drink. Lovely lingering finish that makes your mouth water! Only bought 1 bottle to try, will get a few more now.
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2/8/2007 - thomaskeil wrote: 92 Points
I really liked this 'departure' from what I usually associate with Beaucastel. While quite dark, it had a nose more aimed at spice, licorice and underbrush. There was some red and black fruit but it was not the first thing that hit you. It had a gorgeous linear palate that was focused, balanced and long. Elegant and statuesque.
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2/5/2007 - Sweet Nancy wrote:
Not as meaty as other Beaucastels. More acid and less earth, but good spice and fruit.
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2/3/2007 - no leashes wrote: 91 Points
Decanted almost two hours. Well balanced, not as big and ripe as other Beaucastels, but very good. Lots of earth and spice, the mouvedre flavors dominate. Smooth texture. Paired with duck confit, with the Walters.
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2/2/2007 - Bob Fyke wrote: 93 Points
Decanted 1 hour. Big animal nose at first, gave way underbrush strawberry preserves and blackberry. Not what I'd call "fruity". The fruit is in excellent proportion to the spice and structural elements. Great balance. Nicely integrated. A joy to drink. Probably has a couple more years in the tank.
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1/19/2007 - Paul D wrote: 90 Points
Medium ruby core, wide orangey rim. Medium intense nose, raspberry fruit, developed with lots of spice, some funk and sous-bois and animal notes. Soft and spicy. Medium bodied on the palate with velvety, soft tannins, raspberries, strawberries, very spicy, some sous-bois, lovely balancing acidity on a good length smooth finish. Lovely, mature, soft Chateauneuf, drinking perfectly, should hold for at least 2-3 years.
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12/25/2006 - Paul D wrote:
No formal note (suffering from cold). Soft tannins, decent fresh acidity, red fruits, spicy finish.
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12/23/2006 - GavinP wrote: 90 Points
Complex - earthy and meaty notes predominate but with wild fruit, but bit too acidic for me to be really great
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11/24/2006 - Mlermontov wrote: 92 Points
The Day After...and my first Giacosa (Count's Manor): Animal - if this isnt beaucastel what is? :) cherry, brambles, very refreshing middle without any VA, good finish. exactly what i would want with dinner. not a monster - an excellent showing for the wine.
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11/24/2006 - Bob Fyke wrote: 92 Points
Lots of barn yard and backbone. Very brambly. Licorice, black cherry skins, sage.
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5/20/2006 - Russell Faulkner wrote:
Beaucastel Offline (Snow on the Green - London): Interestingly whiffy, very sweet fruit but overly acidic, quite low tannin, fruit is adorable though. ~88 points
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2/21/2006 - acontos wrote: 95 Points
Purchased at Beaucastel a few years ago, opened for my birthday. Translucent purple, watery edge; not decanted. Slight alcohol in nose with earthy overtones. Big cherry taste, very complex; lasts ~ 15s; explodes in moth -- very drinkable and enjoyable. Big dried fruits -- figs/plums. Some dustyness in finish.
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2/12/2006 - thijsseg wrote: 91 Points
great wine, perfect. Drink now.
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1/8/2006 - 97mjr wrote: flawed
[Chat Blac] Huge earth bandair. No fruit. Tasted corked
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10/1/2005 - Pilot wrote:
Elegant, beautiful acids with wonderful warm grenache body filled with bramble, wild strawberry, animal, fungus, violet, and mineral. Really nice and clean. Very enjoyable....
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6/5/2005 - antiwood wrote:
Grenache pops out of the glass. Garrigue, gaminess, slightly candied blackberry. Fresh and vibrant body. Blood and guts. Full bodied and thick without being unctious. Really balanced in the mouth. Still a baby and barely noticable secondary flavors. This is ripe but no super maturie. Long and long again. Finishes with noticiable tannins. Not as ripe as 1998, 2000, or 2001 but more balanced than 1999 ... try again in three years.
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12/9/2004 - tendring wrote: 84 Points
Wine Education Service - Château de Beaucastel (Notting Hill Gate): Prunes, vegetal, sweet, complex nose.
Good balance, pleasant drinking, good length
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5/22/2004 - JeffGMorris wrote: 88 Points
Tasted at dinner at Steve & Barb's house. Decanted for 3 hours. This was the most controversial wine of the night as it seemed ok when being tasted ( just not a great Beaucastel ) but later in the evening seemed overwhelmingly corked. Earthy on the nose and spicy on the palate. Grenache typical cherries. Not up to the usual Beaucastel standard so maybe it was corked.
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4/19/2002 - MicklethePickle Does not like this wine:
Funky nose, still closed. Tight, very acidic. Not rated.
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6/6/2000 - Double-A wrote:
Deep garnet with orange rims. Earthy. Underbrush, cassis, leather and sweet spice nose. Medium bodied with good fruit and acidity to balance. Finishes long and spiced.
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